Podcast cover size: 3000×3000 for Apple Podcasts and Spotify

The podcast cover size to use is 3000×3000 pixels: a square JPEG or PNG in RGB colour. Apple Podcasts accepts square artwork from 1400×1400 up to 3000×3000 pixels, and Spotify and the other apps take a square too, so one 3000 pixel file covers every directory. Upload it to your podcast host, which puts it in your RSS feed. Then design for the size people actually see, a small square in a list, by keeping the title short, large and high in contrast.

Podcast cover requirements by platform

Artwork is usually turned away for one of three reasons: the file isn't perfectly square, it was exported in CMYK from a print workflow, or it is under 1400 pixels. Check all three before you upload. Apple also rejects artwork that misuses its own logos or imitates its badges, so leave those off the cover.

Why 3000×3000 and not smaller

Your cover is shown on phones, but also full screen on tablets, televisions and car displays. Starting from 3000 pixels gives every app enough detail to scale down cleanly, and there is no benefit in going larger, because Apple's limit stops at 3000. Design and export at exactly that size.

Use JPEG for photographs and PNG for flat colour, gradients and lettering. If a JPEG of a gradient shows stepped bands, export at a higher quality or add a fine grain, as gradient banding explains. Keep the file in RGB: a CMYK cover can be rejected outright or shift colour.

How the cover gets to every app

You don't upload your cover to each app. You upload it once to your hosting service, which publishes the image link inside your RSS feed. Apple, Spotify and the rest read the feed and fetch the image. If you change the cover, it can take a while for each app to pick up the new one.

<channel>
  <title>Slow Mornings</title>
  <itunes:image href="https://example.com/podcast/cover-3000.jpg" />
  <image>
    <url>https://example.com/podcast/cover-3000.jpg</url>
    <title>Slow Mornings</title>
    <link>https://example.com/podcast</link>
  </image>
</channel>

Keep the podcast title legible at small sizes

At 3000 pixels everything looks fine. In a search result or a list of subscriptions, the same cover is a small square among others. Design at full size, but judge it at the size of a fingertip. Podcast cover art covers the creative side in depth; the rules that matter most for size are these.

For type that holds at tiny sizes, see thumbnail text. The squint test works here too: shrink the cover until it is the size of a postage stamp on your screen. If the title still reads, so will everyone's phone.

Make your podcast cover step by step

1. 1

   Start a 3000×3000 RGB canvas

   Use a square artboard in RGB from the start, so nothing needs converting later.

2. 2

   Set the title large

   Two to four words in a heavy face, with a margin of at least 200 pixels on every side.

3. 3

   Choose one background

   A strong colour field or one simple image. It is what listeners recognise before they read.

4. 4

   Export JPEG or PNG

   Exactly 3000×3000, RGB. Check the file's dimensions in its info panel before uploading.

5. 5

   Upload to your host

   Replace the show artwork in your hosting dashboard and let the feed carry it to every app.

Gradiently includes the Apple Podcasts cover as a built-in 3000×3000 size, and the Designer can lay out the cover in your Mark, then make the episode Stories, a YouTube thumbnail and posts from it. Free exports are 720p, below Apple's minimum, so a cover ready for your feed needs Pro, which exports up to 4K without a watermark. For the promotion side, podcast social media has formats and ideas.